This week in History for August 11, 2011

La Veta
1893: James Henderson’s race horse don’t [sic] like to work in harness. He jumped straddle of the tongue one day this week and made fast time. No one was hurt.
1901: John Powell is hauling logs to the sawmill for lumber to build a residence on the old school house property which his father has recently purchased.
1908: Supt. Stone informs the editor that work has begun on a $6,500 store building at Oakview camp.
1914: Paul Ghiardi is operating a first class moving picture show at the Crystal Opera House. Admission 10 cents.
1920: Andrew Pickens has announced his candidacy for County Commissioner District #2 subject to the decision of the Democratic County Assembly.
1927: Lee Powell, who makes his home with his aunties, the Misses Annie and Edith Hector, celebrated his fifth birthday with 15 of his little friends.
1934: Barley grown by Alfred Atchison on the Hugh Sager place produced 90,000 pounds which is considered very satisfactory for a drought year.
1940: The American Legion Auxiliary celebrated Colorado Day, August 1, with a very well attended basket luncheon and program at the Sulphur Springs.
1946: Local 4-H members sold eight steers in Pueblo last Friday for a total of $2,603.50 or an average of $325.43 per animal, which broke all records.
1952: Huerfano is again one of nine counties in southern Colorado designated as a drought area. Some farmers have had no crops for two years.
1959: Curtis Goemmer of La Veta and Arlene Hudran of Walsenburg were selected outstanding 4-H boy and girl of the year.
1965: There was a large attendance at the Huerfano County Quarter Horse Show at Willis Arena Saturday despite a three-inch rainfall that caused events to be moved inside the barn or else cancelled.
1972: Bill Williams, director of the eighth annual Cuchara Hermosa Art Festival, said the 33 exhibitors sold 130 pieces of art for a total of $4,023.
1981: Highway Patrolman Tom Hammond will have a kids’ bicycle rodeo at La Veta School August 11 and will also inspect their bikes for safety.
Walsenburg
1896: Four prairie schooners passed through town Saturday on their way from some vanished El Dorado to board with their wife’s folks.
1902: A number of Sheepmen [sic] whose herds total 7,000 left for Rocky Ford in search of pasture because of the local drought.
1909: Articles of incorporation were filed Monday for the Colorado and Southwestern Railway from Walsenburg to Pueblo.
1915: Mrs. Archie Levy entertained at a dancing party in the Park Pavilion Thursday evening in honor of her brother Harry Blickhahn.
1923: Walsenburg’s new ornamental lighting system will be officially inaugurated August 18 between Fifth and Seventh Streets along Main.
1930: Heavy rains last night held up traffic on the Trinidad highway just south of Walsenburg when three feet of water was on the road and several small bridges were under water.
1937: Tony and Tiny, young sons of Joe A. Sanchez, saved their father this morning when his clothing became ignited in a blow torch explosion.
1942: Modern wig-wag signals are replacing the old blinker signals in the center of Seventh Street at the railroad crossing.
1948: Two Della Martinezes were registered to win the prize at the Fox Theater last night, but the one of Route #1 was proved the rightful recipient of the $200 award. Now don’t tell us there’s another Della Martinez.
1954: The first community open air ballroom dance will be August 21 on the Civic League tennis courts where the square dances are often held.
1960: A completely modern service station will be built on the site of O’Byrne’s store at Seventh and Main, vacant since 1957. It will be built and operated by the Standard Oil Company of Indiana.
1967: Thousands of fish and crawdads litter the shores of Lathrop Park Lake, killed by unknown causes.
1975: All Senior Citizens are welcome to attend the old fashioned fish fry at Walsenburg Nursing Home Aug. 13 to enjoy the trout donated by the Wildlife Conservation Service.
1982: A total of 201,717 people visited Lathrop State Park between July 1, 1981 and June 30, 1982, an increase of 4.6 percent.